"Wish you could have better home security? Invest in a laser guided, nuclear nest, defense grid. If anything gets through it, well, it's basicly earned the right to hurt you."
I'd go with Rem 870 1st, then the Mossy 2nd. Super cheap, near bullet proof design. Plenty of affordable parts/accessories.
I'd also go a bit light on the shot size to limit wall penetration. Walls don't stop much these days and you don't want to blow through a wall into a "friendly" in the other room.
Just make sure you get some range time and education for it as well as folks in the house.
1) Treat every weapon as if it were loaded
2) Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot.
3) Keep trigger finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire
I'm NOT knocking Benelli's. They are very,very good. I just prefer a different brand. That bit he does with the pump, shooting his empties....Whoa! ( gotta try that sometime when no one is anywhere near me )
I used to be a bird shot fan for home defense, no more.
apparently I don't swim in these waters as often as you folks... I don't know what guns you've used but the last time I was pulling skeet, we had a benelli auto loader and a 870. Trading back and forth we could get as many off in less time with the 870. I'm sorry that I don't remember the model and amittedly it was 6 yrs ago, but my friend noticed it also. While I have no clue what a waterhead is, and I'm sure that many shoot here more than I do, are you calling me a liar?
I like 870's a lot. Do I have to post pictures of my pink .410 again? I've been shooting skeet, trap, sporting clays and live pigeons competitively since the mid-80's, so I feel qualified to offer some advice on this.
For home defense, I think it's hard to beat a pump shotgun. Brand name is unimportant, but it's got to be reliable and you have to practice enough to be able to shoot and pump without thinking about it. 20 gauge is fine, so is 12. I'd recommend heavy bird shot, #6 or bigger, but not buck or slug due to the risk of wall penetration and collateral damage. You're not going to be far enough from your target that you need anything bigger.
>>>I've been shooting skeet, trap, sporting clays and live pigeons competitively
SHOULD READ . . .
>>>>>I've been shooting WINNING competitions in Mexico, South America and the United States shooting skeet, trap, sporting clays and live pigeons competitively
As perhaps one of the few folks here who has been shot (3 times with a Remington 1100) I assure you the brand was of little matter to me.
I'm a huge advocate of the 870. Costs almost nothing, reliable as a rock and makes a sound that says "maybe we should stuck around on the corner rather than come in here"
The FN SLP (Self Loading Police) is built around the same action as the Winchester SX2 and Browning Gold Series and should always be mentioned along with these superlative shotguns.
For defense use, the FN SLP is the best selection between the three (it's what it was designed for... that and offense). The SLP has a shorter stock (for use with body armour; it feels fine if you aren't wearing any though), a full length magazine tube, a picatinny rail along the top, and tactical sights.
It's a great firearm, but probably not the best first shotgun for a novice. I highly recommend it for the more experienced gunner.
Hey RT my guess is you have did a lot of white wing hunting in the vally. when I was doing PR work for Halliburton I shot all season around mission at the company lease I would come home with both shoulders black and blue as I had to fill out for my customers, that is why I like the Ithaca It ejects out the bottom and you can shoot right or left handed.
i just got back from gander mountain ad i think that i am going to get the 870 express in the black composite, 250 bucks, damn cant hardly beat that. Or can you? n e 1 else seen am new for any cheaper.
Oops, forgot the FN SLP. I almost bought a Winchester competition SX2, (very close to the SLP, set up for 3 gun competition) but by the time I talked myself into it, It had sold.
Remington sells 2 main versions of the 870. Lot's of variants in each line. The top of the line ones have polished, blued parts, nice wood, high price tags and would look fine in a display case as an example of elegant design.
The low priced line has matte finishes, ( including the stainless/nickle mariner pictured above ) polymer or plain wood, and are far cheaper. IMO if you put a little time into polishing the internals, or at least put a few thousand shells through the cheaper ones, they work just as well, but out of the box, you can really feel the difference. Also good in a display case with other martial arms, like AK's, AR's or old Mausers.
Pump vs. Auto.
There is no way that a pump can be cycled as fast as an auto. Aimed fire is another matter.
However! for some people, the action of cycling a pump aids them in recoil recovery, as they pull the barrel back down. Others, like me, are considerably faster with an autoloader. I've tried. While nowhere as fast as the pro's, the last time I tried my buddy's SX2 Comp gun, I was able to rip off 10 shots in less than 5 seconds, aimed. ( I play Halo with a joystick ) The comments from the 2 fellows watching were, "I've never seen someone shoot that fast" ( Made me feel good, & wonder if he's ever been to a meet where the GOOD shots are. ) and "he hit the target, every time!" in disbelief. ( that really made me feel good )
If you cannot successfully connect with a shotgun round on an intruder in your house with the first shot then perhaps you need to rethink your house security and then improve your markmanship.
From the Boxotruth: 3. The slugs were "bad" penetrators. By that, I mean that they will penetrate several interior walls. If you have loved ones in your home, consider this as you select your home defense weapon.
I discovered this myself by trial and error, with a phone book, at 100 yards.
Bombardier, I think that is true whatever you are using. Crossbow, .45, or Stark Industries Jericho.
Shotguns are not magic. The spread of shot at in house ranges may be smaller than 3 inches. Adrenal glands, etc. make hitting a moving target with anything a challenge. The myth that you don't have to aim, is a myth. ( and if it did cover the whole alley/room etc., you'd be responsible for all the damage you did too. Home Claymore anyone?.....LOL )
